Navigation device

ABSTRACT

A navigational device is described where a position is storable by actuating a control element and this position may be input as a driving destination by re-actuating the control element. This simplifies the input of an often frequented driving destination, e.g., the place of residence.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

[0001] The present invention is directed to a navigational device according to the definition of the species in the main claim. Navigational devices for navigating a vehicle through a road network are known. A vehicle position is determined using a locating device and a driving route is calculated from a starting point to a driving destination. Driving instructions including turn-off indications are output to the driver. The driving destination is input at the start of the trip via voice input or via a keyboard. Storing driving destinations and selecting them from a list at the start of the trip is also known.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The navigational device according to the present invention having the features of the main claim has the advantage over the related art that the entry of a specific, stored position as a driving destination is greatly simplified by storing the driving destination by actuating a predefined control element and retrieving it by re-actuating the same, so that this driving destination may be selected without complex re-input or a selection from a list. This makes a particularly quick input possible, without the user having to exactly check the input and without having to search for a given text in a list, e.g., the name of a driving destination. This is advantageous in particular for an often frequented driving destination. The position of a residence or a temporary accommodation, e.g., a hotel during vacation or during a business trip, is preferably stored. If the user wishes to return to his residence or his accommodation, it is sufficient to actuate the control element in order to input the residence as a driving destination.

[0003] Advantageous refinements of and improvements on the navigational device described in the main claim are possible through the measures listed in the subclaims. It is advantageous in particular that a current position of the vehicle is storable by a single actuation of the control element for at least a predefined length of time. This facilitates the input of the appropriate positions since, for the input, a manual input or a selection from a list may be dispensed with.

[0004] Furthermore, it is advantageous that a position described in a list may be stored by using the control element, which makes it also possible to store positions at which the vehicle is not located at the time of storage.

[0005] It is also advantageous that a map, on which the stored position is prominently viewable, is viewable on the display of the navigational device thereby making a distance and possibly a route easily visible for the user.

[0006] Furthermore, it is advantageous that, by inputting the stored position as the driving destination, a route direction from the current position of the vehicle to the stored position, input as the driving destination, is automatically started without additional input by the user.

[0007] Furthermore, it is advantageous that distance and/or travel time and/or direction from the current position to the stored position are viewable by a single actuation of the control element. Thus, a user may make the distance and time to travel to the stored position easily viewable at any time, even if he is currently driving a different route which does not include the determined position.

[0008] Advantageous designs of the control element include a pushbutton or a selection area of a touch screen of the navigational device. It is also advantageous that the control element is composed of two adjacent pushbuttons which, for storage of the position and for input of the driving destination, must be actuated at least approximately simultaneously. Thus, a system of additional pushbuttons on a touch screen becomes redundant. The start of the storage of a new position or a route calculation to the stored position by erroneously pressing only one pushbutton is also prevented.

DRAWING

[0009] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in the drawing and are explained in greater detail in the following description. FIG. 1 shows a view of a navigational device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows an operating sequence of the navigational device according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

[0010] The navigational device may be utilized in motor vehicles in particular. However, the utilization in any other vehicles, such as ships, airplanes, or rail vehicles, is possible. In addition, the navigational device according to the present invention may also be utilized as a portable device for cyclists and/or pedestrians. A navigational device according to the present invention is explained in the following using a navigational device for a motor vehicle as an example. A navigational device 1 including a display 2 is illustrated in FIG. 1. Navigational device 1 is preferably integrated into the center console of a motor vehicle. Navigational device 1 communicates with a satellite 4 of a satellite locating system, e.g., the GPS (Global Positioning System), via a first antenna 3. In addition, vehicle location may also take place via vehicle sensors (not shown in FIG. 1) such as partial odometers or rotational speed sensors. In addition, navigational device 1 includes a computing device (not illustrated in FIG. 1) which is integrated into the housing of navigational device 1. The following control elements are situated alongside display 2: pushbuttons 5, 6, 7, 8, and rotary wheel 9. A map 10, including roads 11 and a current vehicle position 12, is viewable on display 2 which is preferably designed as a liquid-crystal display. Variable symbol areas 13, depicting functions of navigational device 1, are depicted beside map 10. The individual symbol areas are selectable by actuating rotary wheel 9. A driving destination may be input into navigational device 1 via the control elements. By accessing a digital map, which is preferably supplied to navigational device 1 via data medium drive 14, the computing device determines from the calculated position a driving route from the current vehicle position to the driving destination which has been input. Traffic information, which may be considered in route planning, is received or queried via a second antenna 15 from either a radio station or a news services center. After completion of the route calculation, driving instructions are output via display 2 and/or via loudspeaker 16 which is also connected to navigational device 1. In a first exemplary embodiment, fourth pushbutton 8 is designed as a control element according to the present invention. A symbol 17, which indicates the storage of information, is situated on fourth pushbutton 8. In order to provide a simple depiction, a star was selected as such a symbol in FIG. 1. However, fourth pushbutton 8 may also be provided with signs such as “home” or a house symbol. In map 10, the symbol depicted on fourth pushbutton 8 is depicted in an advantageous manner at the positions stored for fourth pushbutton 8. A third pushbutton 7 is available for the request of further functions of navigational device 1.

[0011] An operation of the navigational device according to the present invention illustrated in FIG. 1 is explained in the following. It is determined in an initializing step 30 that fourth pushbutton 8 has been pressed. Initialization step 30 is followed by a test step 31 in which it is determined for how long fourth pushbutton 8 has been pressed. If it is determined that fourth pushbutton 8 has been pressed for less than a second then a position determining step 32 follows in which the current vehicle position is determined. In a subsequent calculating and displaying step 33, the distance between the current vehicle position and a stored position is calculated. In a supplementary area 18 of display 2, the distance, displayed in this exemplary embodiment as “20 km” corresponding to a stretch of 20 kilometers, and a driving time, e.g., “10 minutes” (not shown in FIG. 1), are displayed. Moreover, an at least rough direction from the current position to the driving destination is shown as arrow 21. After a specified time has elapsed, e.g., 15 seconds, this display of supplementary area 18 on display 2 expires and the operation sequence is completed via a final step 34. If it is determined in test step 31 that fourth pushbutton 8 has been pressed for more than 5 seconds then a current vehicle position is determined in a localizing step 35 via first antenna 3. In a subsequent memory step 36, the determined current vehicle position is stored, preferably not in a volatile manner, in a memory unit which is integrated into navigational device 1. The memory device may be designed, e.g., as a ROM (“read only memory”) or, e.g., as a RAM (“random access memory”) battery-buffered by the vehicle accumulator. The operation is subsequently completed via final step 37. The determined vehicle position is thus stored for further actuations of fourth pushbutton 8 or for other selections by the user. If it is determined in first test step 31 that fourth pushbutton 8 has been pressed for more than 1 second but less than 5 seconds, then the current vehicle position is determined in a localizing step 38. The driving route from the current vehicle position to the stored position is determined in a subsequent route calculating step 39. A driving route, which has been preferably determined by taking into account traffic information, is output to a user in a subsequent output step 40 via display 2 and/or loudspeaker 16. The operation is completed via final step 41. The output of driving instructions along the calculated route is included in this case.

[0012] Instead of or in addition to fourth pushbutton 8, a symbol area 19 of symbol areas 13 may also be designed as a control element in which symbol 17 is depicted and whose actuation enables both a vehicle position to be stored and a driving destination to be input. The operating sequence is equivalent to the method described in FIG. 2.

[0013] Instead of fourth pushbutton 8, first pushbutton 5 and second pushbutton 6 may also form a control element, for example, so that a position is stored or input as a driving destination when first pushbutton 5 and second pushbutton 6 are jointly and approximately simultaneously actuated. A joint actuation of first pushbutton 5 and second pushbutton 6 is marked by symbol 17.

[0014] Addresses and names of places and persons which are viewable in a selection frame (not shown in FIG. 1) by actuating rotary wheel 9 may also be depicted in symbol areas 13. If such a selection is followed by the actuation of fourth pushbutton 8, the control element formed by pushbuttons 5 and 6, or symbol area 19 then, instead of the current vehicle position, the position displayed on the selected symbol area is stored. Storage may take place in the form of geographical coordinates, as a mere name identifier, or as a set of address data. Moreover, a position may be directly stored in the map inserted in data medium drive 14. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A navigational device for navigating a vehicle in particular through a road network, a driving route from a starting point to a destination point being calculable, a current vehicle position being determinable by the navigational device, a position being storable by actuating a control element, wherein the stored position may be input into the navigational device (1) as the driving destination by re-actuating the control element (8, 5, 6, 19).
 2. The navigational device as recited in claim 1, wherein a current vehicle position (12) is storable by actuating the control element (8, 5, 6, 19) at least for a specified length of time.
 3. The navigational device as recited in one of the preceding claims, wherein the navigational device (1) is connected to a display (2); names of places, addresses and/or geographical points are displayable on the display (2); and a position of a selected place, of an address and/or of a geographical point are storable by actuating the control element (8, 5, 6, 19) at least for a predefined length of time.
 4. The navigational device as recited in one of the preceding claims, wherein a map (10) is viewable on the display (2), and the stored position (17) is prominently viewable on map (10).
 5. The navigational device as recited in one of the preceding claims, wherein a route direction from the current vehicle position (12) to the stored position is automatically started upon input of the stored position as the driving destination.
 6. The navigational device as recited in one of the preceding claims, wherein distance and/or travel time and/or a direction (21) from the current vehicle position to the stored position are displayable by actuating the control element (8, 5, 6, 19).
 7. The navigational device as recited in one of the preceding claims, wherein the control element has at least one pushbutton (8).
 8. The navigational device as recited in claim 7, wherein the control element is formed by two adjacent buttons (5, 6), the control element (5, 6) being actuated by at least approximately simultaneously actuating the adjacent buttons (5, 6).
 9. The navigational device as recited in one of the preceding claims, wherein the control element is a selection area (19) operating surface (13). 